A crutch is a mobility device commonly used by persons who cannot use one leg due to injury or disability. The most common type is the underarm crutch, also known as the axilla crutch. An underarm crutch contains a pad that is placed under the armpit. Crutches are undesirable for many reasons. They are uncomfortable, they require both hands, and they require the user to lift a leg off the ground.
A walkers is another type of mobility device. Walkers are commonly used by persons who cannot support all their weight or who cannot balance. Walkers are three-sided frames (front and two sides) with horizontal handles on the sides and with four main legs. The bottoms of the legs contain wheels, balls, or pads to facilitate movement. Walkers are not suitable for persons who can use only one leg because considerable upper body strength is required to support the body while suspending one leg.
Leg rests for walkers have been disclosed. Walker leg rests allow the user to better support the body weight by bending one leg and resting the knee on the leg rest. The body weight is thus supported by both legs (although only one foot is on the ground) and by both arms. It is believed that walker leg rests have not achieved commercial success for many reasons. Some fit only the left or the right leg, some fit only one type of walker, some are cumbersome and difficult to attach to the walker, and some require many parts and fasteners that are easily lost when not in use.
Tosto, U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,668, Aug. 3, 1971, discloses a walker leg rest that fits only the left or right leg and fits only walkers having a three-sided horizontal bar at the desired height. Rehder, U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,356, Feb. 2, 1988, discloses a walker leg rest that is interchangeable for the left or right leg, but fits only walkers having a specific width and having an adequate space in the front of the frame. Skorman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,909, Mar. 8, 1994, discloses a walker leg rest that fits only the left or right leg. It attaches to the walker with cumbersome brackets and may fit only walkers having a specific depth. Jih, U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,657, Jun. 11, 1996, discloses a walker leg rest that is interchangeable for the left or right leg. It attaches to the walker with cumbersome brackets and fits only walkers having two horizontal bars on the sides below the handles with an adequate space between them.
Accordingly, there is a demand for a walker leg rest that is interchangeable for the left or right leg, is easily and quickly attached and removed, and universally fits all walkers.